There’s no denying that consumers today expect more from the retail experience, and increasingly, that includes their experience with a brand even after a purchase is completed. In fact, 53% of shoppers view the post-purchase period as the most emotional part of any shopping experience.
And beyond consumers’ heightened sensitivity to what happens after they click “buy,” retailers and brands also are recognizing how crucial the post-purchase moment is for their own success.
“There’s something in the DNA of the American psyche — we’re a fast-moving society and we are not conditioned to wait,” said Jerry Sheldon, Analyst at IHL Consulting Group in an interview with Retail TouchPoints. “We want information fast, we want our clothing fast, we want our food fast, we want to utilize credit to get things that historically our parents had to save up for. As a society we elevate the value of our time, and because of that, the post-purchase experience is a huge component of customer loyalty, but perhaps the most overlooked.”
However, brands are increasingly recognizing this disconnect and working to rectify it. One of the easiest places to start involves improving your post-purchase communications game.